Hello friends!  This post is long overdue I know.  I would like to share my fun-filled experience during the Sinulog Festival 2013 at the very beautiful Cebu City!  Warning, this post is photo-loaded. :)

As I have shared in my previous posts about the Sinulog Festival here, here, here and here I was there for work and not for a vacation.  But when you work hard, you deserve to play hard too right?  So I made the most out of each day there.

Day 1 - I was seated in business class (woohoo first time) because there were no more available economy seats, lucky me!  I rode with Marian Rivera, Rafael Rosel, Dennis Trillo and Raymond Gutierrez, there there was ME.

My Business Class Experience flying to Cebu City

We checked in at a really nice business hotel, The Quest Hotel .  Immediately after checking in, we went to JUMP Center in Cebu to train our JUMP Squad on the activation that we are implementing for two days.

Quest Hotel Cebu, home for two days

At SM Cebu, there were already dancers performing in different parts of the mall, dancing with joy and making customers stop and watch them.

A dancer in festival costume at SM Cebu

Some more dancers entertain locals and tourists at SM Cebu

Day 2 and 3 - These days were devoted purely for work during the day, except for Day 3 when we had to work from morning until night, super tiring)

All smiles in the morning for work.

But this gave me a chance to experience what the Sinulog Festival was really all about!  I've witnessed how and why this was the most celebrated time of the year for the Cebuanos.

Sinulog Festival Parade started at 9:00 am, Fuente Osmena Circle

Sinulog masks were sold on the streets

This child was still all smiles amidst the heat from the afternoon sun

 It was fun!  It was crazy!  foreign and local tourists flock to Cebu to watch the parade which happened all day.  Street parties at every corner at night, which lasted until morning.

Some more Sinulog mask souvenirs sold on the streets

Body painting and free hugs from ecstatic people.  I forgot to mention, beautiful and hot people everywhere you look!

Every corner was covered by a sea of people celebrating the Sinulog Festival

Day 4 - My last day in Cebu City was spent visiting Basilica de Sto. Niño and buying pasalubong.  I bought my mom a Sto. Niño as a pasalubong.

The Sto. Nino de Basilica

Sto. Nino de Basilica's magnificent altar.

Sto. Nino in different sizes, sold on the streets outside the church.

Just right beside the Basilica is where you will find Magellan's Cross.  During my last visit, one could still enter the gate to get a closer look.  Now is locked up.

The Magellan's Cross

When buying pasalubong, "Taboan" is the most popular place to go to.  It has everything Cebu has to offer as pasalubong to family and friends.  You may find here assorted dried fish especially the famous "danggit".  Other popular pasalubongs you may purchase here at a cheaper price are the following: Dried Mangoes, Mango Chips, Otap, Mangorind, Piyaya, to name a few.

Assorted dried fish, Danggit for one, is sold at Taboan Market in Cebu

Indeed, Sinulog Festival is Cebuanos' grandest celebration of the year.  It is the time when people, locals and tourists alike, gather in the city to experience the hardcore celebration of the Sinulog Festival.  You will see happy faces everywhere whose energies are so high, you would want to hug them back!

But just a little warning if you are bringing your children with you, maybe you may opt to skip the parade.  Streets are closed to traffic which means a lot of walking will be involved, plus, the bulk of people on the streets could give stress to the little ones.

Overall, I had so much fun!  I definitely look forward to another trip to Cebu City next year for the Sinulog Festival, hopefully non-work related.